ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
India must continue to focus on Economic Growth to Alleviate Poverty: Economic Survey 2020-21
Economic growth and inequality have shown similar relationships with Socio-Economic indicators in India
“Given India’s stage of development, India must continue to focus on economic growth to lift the poor out of poverty by expanding the overall pie.” Laying a clear cut emphasis on economic growth, the Economic Survey 2020-21 was tabled by the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament today.
The Economic Survey states that the relationship between inequality and socio-economic outcomes on one hand, and economic growth and socio-economic outcomes, on the other hand is different in India from that observed in advanced economies. Unlike in advanced economies, economic growth and inequality converge in terms of their effects on socio-economic indicators in India.
The Economic Survey has arrived at this conclusion by examining the correlation of inequality and per-capita income with a range of socio-economic indicators including health, education, life expectancy, infant mortality, birth and death rates, fertility rates, crime, drug usage and mental health across the Indian states. The analysis shows that both economic growth, and inequality have similar relationships with socio-economic indicators. On the basis of the analysis, the Economic Survey 2020-21 observes in India, “Economic growth has a far greater impact on poverty alleviation than inequality”. Economic growth has been represented by income per capita at the state level.
The Economic Survey states that over time, global commentaries have mostly highlighted a potential conflict between economic growth and inequality. The conflict between economic growth and inequality becomes pertinent once again because of the inevitable focus on inequality following the COVID-19 pandemic, observes the Economic Surveys 2020-21.
However, the Economic Survey 2020-21 states that the policy objective of focusing on inequality may not apply in the Indian context given the differences in the stage of development, India’s higher potential rate of economic growth and the higher absolute levels of poverty. Also, the examples of India and China have posed a striking challenge to this conflict. The growth stories of India and China have shown a significant reduction in poverty due to high economic growth, states the Survey.
The Economic Survey 2020-21 thus concludes that focus on policy of growth does not imply that the redistributed objectives are unimportant, but that redistribution is only feasible in a developing economy if the size of the economic pie grows.
To sum up, the policy recommendation of the Economic Survey 2020-21, for a developing country such as India is that where the growth potential is high and the scope for poverty reduction is also significant, the focus must continue on growing the size of the economic pie rapidly at least for the foreseeable future.
Ministry of Tourism
2nd SCO Tourism Expert Working Group under India’s Presidency begins at Kashi  today
The 2 day second meeting of tourism Expert Working Group began in Kashi  today. India as the President of SCO for the year 2023, is chairing the 2nd meeting of tourism Expert Working Group 14-15 March 2023 in ‘Kashi’ . The meeting of 1st Expert Working Group under India's SCO presidency was held on 31 January 2023.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization  is an intergovernmental organization comprising eight Member States China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, four Observer States and six “Dialogue Partners”
The second meeting of EWG discussed the Joint Action Plan for implementing the Agreement between the Governments of the SCO Member States on the Development of Cooperation in Tourism. The Experts from all member countries of SCO prioritised various activities under areas of cooperation such as Promotion of the SCO tourism brand, Promotion of the cultural heritage of the SCO Member States in tourism, Sharing and Exchange of information and digital technology in tourism, Promotion of mutual cooperation in medical and health tourism, Improving the quality of services.
The 2nd meeting of the EWG Chaired by Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma Additional Secretary of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India was attended by senior officials from tourism ministries and departments of tourism from the SCO member countries, representatives from secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India.
This Action Plan prepared by Experts after thorough deliberations and inputs by all SCO member countries will be finalised during the SCO Tourism Ministers Meeting . The Tourism Ministers Meeting, which is to be held on 17-18 March 2023 in Varanasi will conclude the Working Group meetings on tourism track under India’s SCO presidency.
‘Kashi’  where the tourism related meeting of the SCO countries were held under India’s presidency, has been designated as the first cultural capital of SCO region. This initiative is aimed to highlight and showcase the cultural wealth of SCO region and to recognize the value of culture as a resource for socio economic development for the region.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Shri Arjun Munda lays foundation stone of 5 Eklavya Model Residential Schools in Jharkhand
There will be facilities for Archery sport in all Eklavya Model Schools of Jharkhand: Shri Arjun Munda
Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Shri Arjun Munda laid foundation stone for construction 5 Eklavya Residential Model Schools  on 3rd and 4th July, 2021 in three districts of Jharkhand.
On Saturday , the very first foundation stone of Eklavya Model Residential School was laid by Union Minister Shri Arjun Munda in Rajnagar block at Seraikela- Kharsawan District in the presence of Smt. GeetaKoda, MP from Chaibasa Parliamentary Constituency; Shri Champai Soren, Minister SC ST and OBC Development of Jharkhand Government and senior officers from the state administration in Jharkhand.
Shri Arjun Munda also laid Found stone of Eklavya schools at Haatgamharia and Majhgaon blocks of West Singhbum on Saturday.
In continuation of this future for tribal youth, Sh Munda laid the foundation stone for construction of 2 EMRSs, one each at Gurbandha and Dhalbhumgarh blocks of East Singhbhum on 4th July in presence of State Minister for SC-ST, Shri Champai Soren and local MP and MLA.
Addressing at the ceremony, Shri Arjun Munda spoke about the vision of Prime Minister for upliftment of ST community and the role of education envisaged by him for their upliftment. T⁸he Minister said that the construction work of EMRSs will be completed soon and we will be here again for inauguration. He further explained that EMRS is the flagship program of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and it is envisaged that the level of education in EMRS would be at par with JawaharNavodayaVidyalayas.
Giving more details, Shri Arjun Munda further said that this is a very important scheme for tribal areas, in which 480 students will study in each school. Full attention will be given to quality education. All facilities will be provided to pthe students. He said that as India is entering the 75th year of independence, this scheme is the herald of a new revolution for the tribal areas. All the Eklavya Model Schools in Jharkhand will have facilities for the sport Archery, he disclosed.
Addressing at the event on Sunday, Shri Arjun Munda said that 2021-22 will be 75th year of independence when sanctioned Eklavya schools will become operational. And when centenary of Independence is celebrated in 2047, the alumni of Eklavya schools should be everywhere in positions of importance and would have proved their mettle by then.
Please click here for note on Eklavya Model Residential Schools.
Special Service and Features
Result of the Preliminary Round of the first ever Fit India Quiz declared
The results of the Preliminary Round of the first-ever Fit India Quiz for students organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs were announced.
Shibin Suresh K of Palakkad’s GHSS Mezhathur stood first in the Preliminary round, while Sreenandh Sudheesh of Govt Higher Secondary School Malappuram stood second and Siddharth Kumar Gopal of Thiruvananthapuram St Thomas Residential School third respectively.
Among the other schools that qualified in the Preliminary round are Bhavans Varuna Vidyalaya, Ernakulam, St. Joseph's Girls' Higher Secondary School, Changanacherry, Kottayam , Ramakrishna Mission HSS, Kozhikode , St Johns School Pathanamthitta , Cochin Public School, Ernakulam
The preliminary round of the Fit India Quiz saw participants from 13,502 schools from more than 626 districts across the country. Out of this, students of 360 schools across 36 States and Union Territories have now been shortlisted for the State Rounds. The Quiz has a prize money of 3.25 crores which will be given out to winning schools and students at various phases of the quiz. The Preliminary round of the quiz was conducted by the National Testing Agency. Top scorers of the Preliminary round will move into the state round and compete to become their respective state champions.
The 36 school teams  will then move to the National Round that would take place later this year. The winners of the quiz at each level would win cash prizes . The main aim of the quiz is to create awareness among students about India’s rich sporting history and to also tell them more about India’s centuries-old indigenous sports and our national and regional sporting heroes.
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Ministry of Defence
VISIT OF RTN DELEGATION TO WARSHIP DESIGN BUREAU 
A Three-member delegation from the Royal Thailand Navy visited Warship Design Bureau , of the Indian Navy on 04 - 05 Sep 23 at New Delhi. The visit was aimed at increasing cooperation between the two Navies in ship design and construction as bilaterally decided during the 12th IN-RTN staff talks. The delegation accompanied by Capt Jakarin, RTN, Defence Attache interacted with RAdm IB Uthaiah, Director General WDB discussing various facets of ship design and construction.
The delegation was given an overview of the Warship Design Bureau and were shown the evolution of indigenous naval ship building at India. They were also shown various facilities, design tools, best practices adopted, model testing capabilities and indigenous equipment manufacturing ecosystem within the country. The delegation had discussions on various aspects of ship design and construction with subject matter experts at the Warship Design Bureau. The delegation is also scheduled to visit Goa Shipyard Limited, to observe various construction technologies by the shipyard.
Ministry of Power
Power Ministry asks CEA to determine the eligible quantity of domestic coal for power plants using coal under Shakti B
10% blending with imported coal mandatory for Private generators who bid for coal and sell power in the exchange
Power Ministry has directed CEA to determine the eligible quantity of domestic coal for the power plants using coal under Shakti B  taking into account 10% imported coal for blending which is equivalent to about 15% of domestic coal in energy terms. Shakti B   is the window for power plants having untied capacity to bid for coal, to generate power using this coal and sell it in the exchange under Day Ahead Market  or the DEEP portal for short term PPA.
For such plants, Ministry has directed CEA to compute the quantity of coal consumed   window) on the basis of mandatory blending of 10% by weight for generation during the period starting from 15th June 2022 upto 31st March 2023. This will give a window of about 3 weeks for these plants to procure imported coal.
Considering the increased demand of electricity, and coal supplies from domestic coal companies not matching with the consumption of coal, Power Ministry advised all Gencos including IPPs on 28.04.2022 to blend 10% of imported coal for power generation. This was done to supplement domestic coal supply.
Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of the Prime Minister’s statement ahead of the beginning of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on 17.7.2017
English rendering of the Prime Minister’s statement ahead of the beginning of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on 17.7.2017
Monsoon Session of the Parliament gets underway today. After summer, the advent of first rain brings in a fresh new smell into the soil. Similarly, this Monsoon Session will bring in a new spirit after the successful implementation of GST. Whenever the Political Parties and the Government take decisions keeping in mind the national interest, it shows their commitment towards the larger public good. It has been proved successfully with the implementation of GST. The GST spirit is about growing stronger together. I hope the same GST spirit prevails in this Session. The Monsoon Session is significant on several accounts. Nation completes seven decades of Independence on 15th August, 2017. Quit India Movement turns 75 years on 9th August, 2017. During this Session, the nation gets an opportunity to elect the new President and the Vice President. In a way, this period is full of many significant events for the nation. Therefore, it is natural that the public attention will be focussed more on the Monsoon Session this year. As the Monsoon Session of Parliament gets underway, we salute our farmers who have been ensuring food security for the country with their hard work. It is my firm belief that the Monsoon Session will provide an opportunity to all the Political Parties and the MPs to enter into a dialogue of the highest quality with value addition for taking major decisions in the larger national interest together.
Many many thanks to you.
Special Service and Features
SAI LNCPE hosts International Kinanthropometry Workshop
SAI-LNCPE under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is organizing International Workshop on Kinanthropometry and ISAK  certification programme at Thiruvananthapuram. The workshop was officially inaugurated by Dr. A Jayathilak IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, and was presided over by Dr. G. Kishore, Principal and Regional Head of SAI LNCPE Region. The course is beneficial for coaches, physical education teachers and students to update their knowledge in modern sports science. 45 people from across the country are participating in the event. The course will equip them with skills and knowledge for talent identification and grooming, and allow them to design customized training programs for athletes.
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Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister greets all sportspersons on National Sports Day
Also pays homage to Major Dhyan Chand on his birth anniversary
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted all sportspersons on National Sports Day.
Shri Modi also paid tributes to Major Dhyan Chand on his birth anniversary.
In a X post, the Prime Minister said;
“On National Sports Day, my greetings to all sportspersons. India is proud of their contributions to the nation. I pay homage to Major Dhyan Chand Ji as well on his birth anniversary.”
Ministry of Science & Technology
CRISPR gene-editing possible in temperature sensitive organisms, plants & crop varieties
The CRISPR gene-editing technology that received the Nobel Prize in 2020 has witnessed a new height. Indian scientists have demonstrated for the first time that the associated Cas9 enzyme, which acts as molecular scissors to cut DNA at a location specified by a guide RNA, can bind to and cut the target DNA at very low temperatures.
This work has shown the highly efficient functioning of this platform at temperatures as low as 4oC, making it possible to edit genes in temperature sensitive organisms, plants, or crop varieties.
CRISPR  are short DNA sequences found in the genome of prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria, which are reminders of previous bacteriophage  attacks that the bacteria successfully defended against. Cas9 enzyme  uses these flags to precisely target and cut any foreign DNA, thus protecting the bacteria from future attacks by similar bacteriophages. The unprecedented precision of targeting the DNA sequences and then efficiently cutting them is the basis for CRISPR-Cas9 technology, which has been recently demonstrated in editing genes in cells and organisms.
CRISPR-Cas9 technology has been successfully used for many purposes, including basic studies of gene function, agriculture, and medicine to increase our knowledge of disease processes and their potential future therapies. So far, most binding trials were typically performed at 37 °C.
As a further step to advance this platform into the forefront of biomedical and analytical biotechnology, scientists of Raman Research Institute , an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology , have explored temperature-dependent binding and release of cleaved products by the Cas9 enzyme. Serene Rose David, Sumanth Kumar Maheshwaram, Divya Shet & Mahesh B. Lakshminarayana, under the guidance of Dr. Gautam V. Soni, have demonstrated that the Cas9 enzymes strongly bind to the target at very low temperatures and remains bound to the cleaved DNA products even after the enzyme has done its job. Subsequently, the bound products were released in a controlled fashion using high temperature or chemical denaturant .
The research published in the Scientific Reports journal of the Nature Portfolio expands possible application of the Cas9-based genetic toolbox to a previously unexplored temperature range that would be compatible with long-term storage of biological samples.
Their observations on high efficiency of Cas9 binding to target at very low temperatures also provide opportunities to edit genomes of the less explored organisms called cryophiles with an optimal growth temperature of 15°C. The results on Cas9-DNA binding and release mechanics will provide valuable insights for developing temperature-dependent applications of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology. It also builds a quantitative understanding of product release mechanism of this enzyme system.
Publication link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-19485-x
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Ministry of Steel
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan along with the Chief Minister, MP Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurate COVID Care facility in Mandla
Union Minister of Steel and Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, along with the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, today inaugurated COVID Care facility in Mandla district. Union Minister of State for Steel Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste and the MP Public Health and family welfare minister Dr Prabhuram Choudhary were also present in the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Pradhan lauded the Madhya Pradesh government for setting up a new model of fighting the pandemic. He said that this was possible through people’s participation and by undertaking proper planning and ensuring good management. He said that the state is the leader in the new phase of vaccination programme launched this week, and over 1.82 crore people in the state have been vaccinated so far. Shri Pradhan said that though the new COVID cases continue to decline, the Government is leaving no stone unturned to be prepared for any possibility of a third wave of the pandemic. He assured that the MOIL will continue to run the Covid care facility till the district administration takes over its operations. Shri Pradhan said that in the coming days, the vaccination is set to further increase, and all the eligible persons are likely to get it by end of this year.
Shri Chauhan said that with the full support of the Union Government, the State Government has succeeded in containing the Covid. He said that the state Government has been undertaking testing and tracking of patients, and is now providing large scale vaccinations, and taking all precautions. Shri Chouhan said that new facilities being provided will act as the milestone and help in further fighting the pandemic and prevent its third wave.
Set up with the support of MOIL, a steel sector PSU, the covid care facility includes 70 beds at Mandla district hospital and 30 beds at Nainpur Sub-District Hospital of Mandla. The facilities provided includes supply of Oxygen through dedicated network of pipelines and jumbo oxygen containers, micro cylinders along with assured continuous supply of medical oxygen and allied facilities. This facility will augment the COVID-related healthcare in the region and add to the preparedness of any possibility of a third wave.
MOIL is the largest producer of manganese ore in India. It operates 11 mines in the states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, which includes Balaghat, which is the deepest Manganese Ore mines in Asia.
Office of Principal Scientific Advisor to GoI
Homemade masks to overcome shortage
Designs are Ease of Access to Materials, Easy of Making at Home, Ease of Use and Reuse
Are you an apprehensive citizen wondering where to get your hand on a face mask? Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India has come up with an innovative solution for you: homemade face mask. “This is primarily mend for the people who want to wear mask but do not have access to it. They can make these washable and reusable masks home” says Dr Shailja Vaidya Gupta, Senior Adviser, Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government.
Shortage of face mask and hand sanitizers is a stark reality. With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, as anxious public frantically shopped hygiene products, in particular mask and hand sanitizers, the sudden increased supply could not be met by the burgeoning demand.
The Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India issued the manual on homemade masks: “Masks for Curbing the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus” for home fabrication. The key criteria for proposed designs are Ease of Access to Materials, Easy of Making at Home, Ease of Use and Reuse.
Shops and services are demanding that the customers use face mask. In some shops the patrons are denied services for not using the face mask. The homemade mask would help people. Many health experts are also suggesting use of face mask in public spaces could reduce the spread of infection. The proposed guide is meant to provide a simple outline to make, use and reuse masks. This manual could be used by NGOs and individuals to self-create such masks and accelerate widespread adoption of use of masks across India.
Protective masks lower the chances of coronavirus entering our respiratory system through droplets that are present in the air.
The Science and Technology Empowered Committee was constituted on 19th March 2020. The committee is jointly chaired by Prof. Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog and Prof. K Vijay Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and is responsible for coordination amongst science agencies, scientists, industries and regulatory bodies, and to take speedy decisions on research and development to implementation related to the Sars-Cov-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease.
Download the detailed manual on using and making homemade masks http://bit.ly/DIYMasksCorona